How GenSol selects genetic tests has evolved over the years as we’ve grown as a company. When we first started, we offered only about 10 tests, but today our menu has expanded to more than a hundred and counting. So, how do we as a scientifically driven company select which tests to add? It all comes down to the science behind the research and the needs of our customers.
Many of the tests we have added to our menu over time have started as a request from one of our customers. As a company focused on helping breeders and pet parents make better informed breeding and healthcare decisions, we look to our customers to tell us what tests they need. We keep track of these requests and start by looking at the status of the scientific research behind each mutation. There are occasions where the research behind a mutation has yet to be published. We believe that the first step in verifying the work and conclusions behind a scientific study starts with peer reviewed publication. This tells us that others trained in the field have looked at the researcher’s work and agree with the scientific validity and conclusions. For mutations that don’t check this peer review box, we recommend our customers reach out to the scientific investigators to request they provide this type of validation by having their work published in a peer reviewed journal. Without publication, we are simply taking the word of the researcher that the mutation exists in a breed and more importantly, that the mutation consistently leads to the disease.
The process researchers take in finding the mutations that lead to these genetic diseases can be an extremely complex and labor intensive process that takes time. In the early stages of research, scientists may discover mutations close to the causative mutation but may not hit on the exact causative mutation nor have the full picture of the disease without more research. Science more times than not moves slowly and in stages. The hope is that with additional work, the disease picture can become clearer and eventually lead to a more complete story and ultimately the disease causing mutation.
At GenSol, selecting genetic tests responsibly is our obligation to determine the value of testing for each mutation based on the current scientific understanding of the disease. Following peer review publication, we take a deeper dive into the research conclusions to confirm that a strong enough association has been demonstrated between the mutation and development of the disease. Some mutations have a very clear cut association, however for most mutations the link is more of a risk based association that may lead us to question the value a test has for our customers. In these cases, we typically reach out to breed club health committee members to get a better gauge of the impact testing would have on breeding and health care choices. At GenSol, we do not believe in adding tests to our menu that do not provide value. If a breeder or pet parent can’t reliably use the information, than we typically do not move forward with adding the test to our menu.
So, now you know a little more about our decision process when it comes to adding tests to our menu. We use science and other resources at our disposal to determine what mutations will matter for breeders and pet parents and which ones need more time to scientifically mature. It all starts with our customers that let us know what they need. So, don’t hesitate to reach out if you need a test we don’t currently offer and together, we can continue to support animal health.